Door and rack structure for automatic dishwasher



Feb. 28, we? E. HAUSER 3,306,694

DOOR AND RACK STRUCTURE FOR AUTOMATIC DISHWASHER Filed June 24, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

C HARLES E. HAUSER HIS ATTORNEY Feb. 28, 1967 c. E. HAUSER 3,305,694

DOOR AND RACK STRUCTURE FOR AUTOMATIC DISHWASHER Filed June 24, 1965 I 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

CHARLES E. HAUSE R BYWFZZTJV HA5 ATTORNEY Feb. 28, 1967 c. E. HAUSER 3,306,694

DOOR AND RACK STRUCTURE FOR AUTOMATIC DISHWASHER Filed June 24', 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet I5 INVENTOR.

CHARLES El HAUSER BY a 67 r-us ATTORNEY United States Patent Office Patented giff;

3,306,694 DOOR AND RACK STRUCTURE FOR AUTOMATIC DISHWASHER Charles E. Hauser, Jeifersonville, Ind., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Filed June 24, 1965, Ser. No. 466,745 6 Claims. (Cl. 312311) This invention relates generally to automatic dishwashers of the type used in the home and, more particularly, to an improved door and dish-supporting rack structure for such dishwashers.

Generally, dishwashers designed for use in the home are either of the top-opening type, wherein the access opening in the dishwasher cabinet is in the top wall of the cabinet, or the drop-door type, wherein the access opening is in one of the vertical side walls of the cabinet. The drop-door type dishwasher has met with success and is in many cases preferred over the top-opening type because access to the dish-supporting racks is enhanced by the ability of the racks to be substantially completely withdrawn from the wash chamber for loading and unloading. In dishwashers of the drop-door type heretofore available, two dish-supporting racks are provided and are disposed one above the other within the wash chamber. A slide mechanism is usually provided to allow the upper rack to be horizontally withdrawn from the wash chamber, for loading and unloading, and then returned. Tracks are usually provided on opposite side walls adjacent the lower rack and support rollers which in turn support the lower rack. These tracks are at the same general level as the interior surface of the door when the door has been pivoted to its generally hoirzontal openposition. The rollers. are adapted to roll along the track and then onto the inner surface of the door as the lower rack is withdrawn so that the door supports at least a portion of the lower rack when that rack is withdrawn from the wash chamber. Of course, when the lower rack is filled with dishes a substantial load is placed upon the door. In arrangements heretofore available this necessitated sturdy hinge means and bracing to support the door and its load in the horizontal open position. Moreover, when the dishwasher was a portable type, i.e., not rigidly secured to the floor or other structure, means had to be provided to minimize tipping of the dishwasher as the loaded rack was moved out onto the door. These means, which included Outriggers or retractable stabilizers, were often expensive and/or resulted in excessive consumption of floor space when the dishwasher was not in use. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an improved door and rack structure for use in a drop-door dishwasher which minimizes tipping while at the same time obviating expensive Outriggers or retractable stabilizers.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved door and rack structure for a drop-door dishwasher.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a door and rack structure for a drop-door dishwasher which will support reasonably heavy loads without requiring sturdy hinge means or bracing.

It is anotherobject of this invention to provide a door and rack structure for a portable drop-door dishwasher which obviates Outriggers or retractable stabilizers.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved door and rack structure for a drop-door dishwasher which enhances accessibility to the racks for loading and unloading.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved door for a drop-door dishwasher which serves to collect and temporarily retain liquid and food particles that may drop from the soiled articles being loaded onto the racks.

Briefly stated, in accordance with one aspect of this invention, there is provided a dishwasher having a cabinet adapted to rest upon a surface and defining therein a wash chamber. First track means are positioned within said wash chamber and are adapted to receive and movably support a dish rack. An access opening is provided in one wall of the cabinet to allow access to the wash chamber and a door is provided to close the access opening. The door is pivotal about a horizontal axis between an upwardly closed position and a downwardly open position. The door is adapted, when in the open position, to engage and rest upon the surface upon which the cabinet rests. Second track means are carried by the door and are brought into substantial alignment with the first track means when the door is in its open position.

While the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which is regarded as the invention, it is believed the invention will be better understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view, partially cut away to show details, of an automatic dishwasher employing the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a view similar to FIGURE 1 but showing the dishwasher with its door in the open position; and

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view showing the dishwasher with its door in the open position.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown an automatic dishwasher 10. Dishwasher 10 includes an outer cabinet 11 which defines therein a wash chamber 12. Disposed within wash chamber 12 are racks 13 and 14 which are adapted to receive and support articles to be washed within chamber 12. Wash chamber 12 is further defined by a bottom wall 15 which is recessed near its center to form a sump 16. Disposed within sump 16 and supported by bottom wall 15 is a motor-pump assembly 17 comprising an electric drive motor 18 and a pump 19.

Positioned atop pump 19 is a rotatable reaction type spray arm 20 which effectuates a wash action within chamber 12 by ejecting wash fluid from a-plurality of orifices therein. Pump 19 is provided with an inlet 21 and is designed such that when motor 18 drives pump 19 in one direction of rotation, wash fluid is Withdrawn from sump 16 through inlet 21 and propelled upwardly into spray arm 20. When motor 18 drives pump 19 in the opposite direction, wash fluid is withdrawn from sump 16 through inlet 21 and propelled out through a discharge outlet (not shown) which is connected to a suitable sewer system. An electrical resistance heating element 22 may also be provided within wash chamber 12 to facilitate the drying of articles in racks 13 and 14 upon conclusion of the washing operation. Suitable sequence control means may be provided to control the various aforementioned elements through a sequence of operations constituting a complete washing, rinsing and drying operation. A manually operable control knob 23 is associated with the sequence control means to initiate operation of dishwasher 10.

The exact relationship of the above-described elements may be varied considerably from that described without materially affecting the present invention. Moreover, many of the elements may be omitted without departing from the scope of the present invention inasmuch as the invention is primarily concerned with the door and rack structure to be discussed in greater detail hereinafter.

As mentioned earlier, the present invention is primarily concerned with that type of dishwasher wherein the access opening and closure member for the access opening are located in a side wall of the dishwasher cabinet rather than the top wall. With such an arrangement, it is conventional to have the dish-supporting racks horizontally movable out through the access opening for loading and unloading of articles to be washed.

Upper rack 13 may be suitably supported within wash chamber 12 by means of a slide-out mechanism 24 which includes a plurality of rollers 25 rotatably carried by a side wall of cabinet 11, a slide 26 and a plurality of rollers 27 rotatably carried by rack 13. Rollers 27 reside in, and cooperate with, a pair of slots 28 in slide 26. For a more detailed explanation of a substantially identical slide-out mechanism, reference may be had to US. Patent 3,096,125, issued to N. L. Kendt on July 2, 1963, and assigned to the General Electric Company, assignee of the present invention. Inasmuch as the particular slideout mechanism is not critical to the present invention, and since such suitable slide-out mechanism is fully disclosed in the aforementioned Kendt patent, further discussion of slide-out mechanism 24 will not be herein presented except to point out that slide-out mechanism 24 allows rack 13 to move between the position illustrated in FIGURE 1 and the position illustrated in FIGURES 2 and 3.

Lower rack 14 is provided with a pair of front rollers 29 at each side thereof and a pair of rear rollers 30 at each side thereof. Rollers 29 and 30 rest upon a track means 31 when rack 14 is in wash chamber 12 as illustrated in FIGURE 1. Track means 31 are rigidly secured to the inner surfaces of cabinet 11, it being understood that one such track means 31 is provided at each side of the cabinet 11. In the preferred form of the present invention, track means 31 is disposed substantially horizontal so that rack 14, as it is withdrawn from chamber 12, moves substantially horizontally. Of course, track means 31 could be varied from the horizontal a reasonable degree, or given a curved configuration, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

A closure member or door 32 is provided to close the access opening in cabinet 11. Door 32 pivots through an angle greater than 90 about a horizontal axis defined by a hinge member 33 rigidly secured to cabinet 11. Any number of hinge means 33 may be provided; however, in the preferred form of the present invention two such hinge members are provided, one at each side of door 32. A gasket or seal 34 is provided about the access opening to cooperate with door 32 to effectuate a seal between cabinet 11 and door 32, when door 32 is closed, to prevent the escape of wash fluid during operation of dishwasher 10. A pair of catches 35 are provided near the free end of door 32 and cooperate with resilient clips 36 on cabinet 11 to secure door 32 in the closed position. A handle 37 is provided to facilitate opening and closing of door 32.

As is clearly shown in each of the figures, cabinet 11 has a shortened top wall 38 while door 32 has an end wall 39 of a size sufiicient to supplement top wall 38, when door 32 is closed, so that the upper portion of wash chamber 12 is of substantially the same horizontal area as the lower portion of wash chamber 12. The inclined relationship between door 32 and cabinet 10 greatly enhances access to the upper rack 13 since free access to rack 13 is achieved by withdrawing it to an extent only about one-half that required in a conventional structure such as that shown, for example, in US. Patent 3,096,125, discussed above.

With respect to the lower rack 14, track means 40 are I,

provided on door 32 and are brought into substantial alignment with track means 31 when door 32 reaches its full open position so that rack 14 may be Withdrawn out of wash chamber 12 with rollers 29 and 30 riding along Ideally, the dimensions of handle 37 andend wall 39 i of door 32 relate to the height of hinge member- 33 from the floor or other surface 41, upon which dishwasher 10 4, rests, so that track means 40 is maintained in a substantially horizontal attitude When handle 37 rests upon surface 41. Because handle 37, or any other suitable portion of closure member 32, rests upon surface 41, Outriggers or retractable stabilizers are not required to prevent or minimize tipping of dishwasher 10 when the dishwasher is a portable type as shown in the drawings. Moreover, bracing or strengthened hinge means are not required when dishwasher 10 is of the built-in variety, i.e., rigidly secured to the floor or other structure since a substantial portion of the weight of door 32 and the loaded rack 14 is directly borne by surface 41.

It should be noted that the particular configuration of door 32, including end wall 39 and opposing side walls 39a, provides a cavity or sump 42, when door 32 is in its full open position, which will catch and retain any liquids or food particles which may drip or fall from soiled dishes as they are placed into rack 14 preparatory to washing. As door 32 is closed, these food particles or liquids will be dumped into wash chamber 12, and sump 16, so that pump 19 may flush them into the sewer system. Although door 32 is shown as having a generally triangular configuration, when viewed from the side as in FIGURES 1 and 2, an obvious modification of the present invention would involve providing door 32 with a more conventional configuration and providing a track means angularly related to the door so that as the door is swung into engagement with surface 41, the track means would'assume substantially the disposition that track means 40 assumes in the illustrated embodiment. Another obvious modification, would be the omission of handle 37 with an attendant lowering of cabinet 11, or at least a lowering of hinge member 33.

As will be evident from the foregoing description, certain aspects of the invention are not limited to the particular details of construction of the example illustrated, and it is contemplated that various other modifications or applications will occur to those skilled in the art. It is therefore intended that the appended claims shall cover such modifications and applications as do not depart from the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Patent of the United States is:

1. An automatic dishwasher adapted to rest upon a floor and comprising:

(a) a cabinet,

(b) a wash chamber within said cabinet,

(0) a rack to support dishes to be washed within said wash chamber,

((1) a door secured to said cabinet for rotation about a horizontal axis through an angle greater than between an upwardly closed position and a downwardly open position,

(e) first track means carried by said cabinet and extending into said wash chamber,

(f) rollers rotatably secured to said rack and resting upon said first track means when said rack is disposed within said wash chamber, and

(g) second track means on the inner surface of said door,

(h) said door being adapted to rest directly upon the floor when in said open position,

(i) said second track means being substantially aligned with said first track means when said door is in said open position whereupon said rack may be withdrawn from said wash chamber onto said second track means.

2. A dishwasher comprising:

(a) a cabinet adapted to rest upon a surface and defining therein a wash chamber,

(b) first' track means within said wash chamber adapted to receive and movably support a dish rack,

(c) an access opening in said cabinet to provide access to said wash chamber,

(d) a door to close said access opening pivotal about Letters 5 a horizont'tal axis through an angle greater than 90 between an upwardly closed position and a downwardly open position,

(e) said door being-adapted when in said open position to engage and rest upon the surface upon which said cabinet rests, and

(f) second track means carried by said door,

(g) said second track means being in substantial alignment with said first track means when said door is in said open position.

3. A dishwasher comprising:

(a) a cabinet adapted to rest upon a surface and defining therein a wash chamber,

(b) an access opening in said cabinet,

(c) means within said wash chamber to support a dish rack for substantially horizontal movement out through said access opening,

(d) a door to close said access opening pivotal about a horizontal axis through an angle greater than 90 between an upwardly closed position and a downwardly open position,

(e) said door being adapted when in said open position to engage and rest upon the surface upon which said cabinet rests, and

(f) means on said door to receive and support said dish rack upon movement of said dish rack out through said access opening.

4. A dishwasher comp-rising:

(a) a cabinet adapted to rest upon a surface and defining therein a Wash chamber,

(b) said cabinet having a shortened top wall,

(a) an access opening in said cabinet, and

(d) a door to close said access opening pivotal about fit a horizontal axis between an upwardly closed position and a downwardly open position,

(e) said door having an end wall to supplement said shortened top wall whereby said wash chamber has a substantially constant horizontal area throughout its vertical length when said door is in said closed position.

5. The invention defined in claim 4 further comprising:

track means within said wash chamber to movably support a dish rack and track means on said door, said end wall being of suflicient size to position said track means on said door in substantial alignment with said track means in said wash chamber when said door is in said open position, said door resting upon said surface when 15 in said open position.

6. The invention defined in claim 4 wherein said door further comprises opposing side walls interconnected with said end wall to form a cavity therein which serves as a sump when said door is in said open position.

30 CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner.

CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Examiner.

F. DOMOTOR, Assistant Examiner. 

1. AN AUTOMATIC DISHWASHER ADAPTED TO REST UPON A FLOOR AND COMPRISING: (A) A CABINET, (B) A WASH CHAMBER WITHIN SAID CABINET, (C) A RACK TO SUPPORT DISHES TO BE WASHED WITHIN SAID WASH CHAMBER, (D) A DOOR SECURED TO SAID CABINET FOR ROTATION ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS THROUGH AN ANGLE GREATER THAN 90* BETWEEN AN UPWARDLY CLOSED POSITION AND A DOWNWARDLY OPEN POSITION, (E) FIRST TRACK MEANS CARRIED BY SAID CABINET AND EXTENDING INTO SAID WASH CHAMBER, (F) ROLLERS ROTATABLY SECURED TO SAID RACK AND RESTING UPON SAID FIRST TRACK MEANS WHEN SAID RACK IS DISPOSED WITHIN SAID WASH CHAMBER, AND (G) SECOND TRACK MEANS ON THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID DOOR, 